Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-12-30
SACUS BANK DEFAULTER,
THE STOLEN BONDS HAVE NOT BEEN
RECOVERED.
mcNeally's Intended Movements not
Known President Goodale Denies
that the Bank has Been Compro-
missed -Harry's Statement

SACo, Me, Dec. 2S.-Harry McNeally,
brother of the Saco defaulter, returned
from Halifax this morning. He denied
having told Halifax reporters that the
bank would not lose dollar by the defal-
cation. 81 did say" said he, "that neither
| nor my brother Frank wanted the bank
to lose a dollar, and if ever the time came
when we could we would make good to
to them every dollar" He denied having
stated in Halifax that the stolen Sc
curities were all returned to the bank from
Cairo and claimed that he gave
no information regarding them He said
the bank had made no trade for the re-
Covery of the securities and no trade was
even talked of. When asked if he had
any doubt that the bank would recover
the securities he replied. 81 have no
doubt that they will recover them IN
time" He declined to be interviewed re-
garding his brother's intended movements
or where the stolen securities are
The bank officers all admit that
none of the stolen bonds have ever
been recovered. They are of the
opinion that the securities are some
where the other side of the Atlantic,
but none of them will admit that they
know where they are. President GJodale
to day said the bank had made no com
promise with McNeally. The first letter
received from the defaulter was sent from
Cairo in October and contained an offer
10 return the securities for $50 600 if the
DanK would promise net to prosecute him
The trustees refused to entertain the
proposition and no further attempt at ne
gotlatlon was made by McNeally When
next heard from the defaulter was on
his way to Halifax.
Frank McNeally's Confession.
y
Neatly, the Saco bank thief, now that he
is free, gives full account of why and
how he robbed the bank, how he escaped
and where he went Frank had been in
slight financial difficulties through a third
person, and during the month Of July had
been helping himself to small sums from
the bank to tide himself through But he
would not make false entries on the books
or change dates, as he might have done,
to cover up his minor defalcations. On
the afternoon of August q the idea entered
his head that he might help himself TO
both bonds and money, and so relieve
himself of his troubles. Hardly q minute
had elapsed from the time the thought
occurred until he had slipped the bonds
into his pocket. Then he helped himself
to the $1,000 in cash. Just as the bank
was closing train was leaving, and he
jumped on board, without knowing where
he was bound for, but soon found himself
in Vermont.
At St. ,johnsbury he left the train at /
O'Clock Tuesday morning proceeded to
some hotel the name of which he does
not remember, and put up for the ight
After breakfast he purchased new ticket
to Swahton, but left the train about noon
at some small place, had dinner and took
a ride across The country on a stage coach,
which landed HIM at Cedar Falls the same
afternoon. AT this place he obtained au-
other ticket for a town III Vermont on the
Canadian border, the name of which he
cannot IT call
Two hours after he would, he saws.
have given the world if he could have
been back in Saco and replaced his pilter-
lngS before the bank opened III the morn
ing. But he was too far away TO return
in time for that. Then he hoped he would
be identified and taken back These homes
We're succeeded by fears that he would not
be arrested. From Vermont he went to
Montreal, where he bought Il draft on the
London branch of the bank of Montreal
and thence he went TO Quebec, whence he
sailed for Liverpool september 3. To
show that the robbery was not premedi
tated he said that if ne had wanted TO do
so he could have run away three days be
fore with $500 and $2000,000 worth of
bonds and securities, which were at that
time under his control. He spent some
hioHIhs III EnSldLu, Duu MS ne WAS Il
misery, he shunned society and dreaded
to meet any one.
From England he went to Paris and
thence to Egypt. The bonds were done
up in little parcel, about IS inches long,
q inches wide and inches thick, and
placed in his trunk. He never opened
them or touched them from the time he
first placed them there until at Cairo,
when he wrote the bank officials, confess
ing his crime and Offering to return them
The bank Will not lose dollar "Not a
single dollar" said Harry. There is no
charge against Frank by the bank it has
lost nothing, and when the grand jury
meets on the first week in January the in
dictment against him, based upon mis-
taken state ement of the circumstances un-
der which the breach of trust was com
mitted, will be quashed"